Japanese rookie driver, Yuki Tsunoda has made quite the impact in Formula One this season. The 21-year-old is known for his dramatic team radio, but also for his raw pace, which shows his potential. But he’s struggled in relation to his AlphaTauri teammate, Pierre Gasly. Also, one cannot forget the number of times he’s crashed already this season.

Hence, former F1 driver, Takuma Sato, feels that his Japanese compatriot needs more practice sessions much as he had in his own F1 days to overcome his issues.

Sato blames lack of testing for the struggles of Yuki Tsunoda

Making an impact on the grid in your debut season can be a daunting task. Tsunoda is experiencing that in his first year at AlphaTauri. Hence, his fellow countryman, Sato, feels that the rookie should have been given more time to prepare.

Speaking on an episode of the podcast In the Fast Lane, the former Japanese driver said, “I believe that Yuki has massive potential to success in Formula One. He just needs to have more experience, to be honest. Because my days in Formula One, winter testing, I went almost every week. We go to Barcelona. Even during the season, we had to have a third driver for a test driver, because the race driver just used to say ‘Too tired’ to go all over the place.”

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“The amount of lapping, and tire testing and just timing the car is probably ten times more than what Yuki had at the moment. So it’s really not fair to judge, particularly he is having quite a challenging time. So I think once he has gotten more comfortable with the environment, he has got his confidence back,” he concluded.

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How is Yuki doing this season?

The Japanese driver has made quite the expression in the F1 paddock this season, ever since the first race in Bahrain. So far this year, Tsunoda’s best performance has been at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he placed sixth and picked up eight points.

As of now, the 21-year-old finds himself in thirteenth place in the driver’s standings with eighteen points. Tsunoda is hoping to step up his game, once the season resumes after the summer break.

The Japanese driver is hoping to seize another set of points at the upcoming Belgium Grand Prix. Tsunoda will aim to have a stellar debut season in F1 and prove Sato’s point of achieving success on the F1 grid.

WATCH: Yuki Tsunoda Brings Out the Red Flag With Heavy Crash in FP1 of Hungarian GP